Template for folding rules



3, 957 s. c. KNEFEL TEMPLATE FOR FOLDING RULES Filed Jan. 24, 19

5 M H T MK p. E. o w my M m m 5 United Pater-11:20,; cc

TEMPLATE FOR FOLDING RULES Stanley C. Knefel, St. Louis, Mo. Application January 24, 1955, Serial No. 483,544

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-181) The present invention relates generally to gauging devices, and more particularly to a novel template adapted for use with an ordinary folding rule to provide means for establishing predetermined angular deviations in pipe lines and the like.

The modern building, whether for business use, or for use as a dwelling, includes a complex arrangement of pipes, ducts, and conduits for distribution of heat, Water, electricity, etc. Inasmuch as it is generally desirable that the distributing lines be incorporated in the walls and ceilings of the building, difficult problems are posed in the routing of each of the several distributing systems so as to avoid one another, as well as to avoid the structural components of the building itself. Customarily, these problems are solved, not on the drawing board by the engineer or architect, but on the site of the job by the workmen who actually make the installaton.

A primary tool of the workmen who lay out such systems is, of course, the conventional folding rule, due, not only to its adaptability for making measurements in confined spaces, but also for its ability to be adjusted so as to measure around angular offsets. It has now been found that the usefulness of an ordinary folding rule is greatly enhanced where means are provided for indicating a predetermined angle to which adjacent sections of the rule may be adjusted and for retaining the rule in the adjusted position. The template of the present invention is such a device.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a device for use with an ordinary folding rule to facilitate the laying out of pipe lines, ducts, conduits, and the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device for retaining adjacent sections of a folding rule in a predetermined angular relation to each other.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device which may be used either singly or in multiples with a folding rule to provide predetermined angular relationships between various sections of the rule.

It is another object of the invention to provide a onepiece template, having no moving parts, which is simple and economical to construct, which is of a size readily accommodated in an ordinary clothes pocket, and which is otherwise well adapted for its intended use.

The foregoing, along with additional objects and advantages, will be apparent from the following descrip tion, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a template conforming to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken generally along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional viewtaken'generally along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a schematic representation illustrating the 2,802,278 Patented Aug. 1,3, '1 9.57

use of two templates'with a folding rule, shown in broken line, to described an offset layout line.

Referring to the drawing more patricularly through use of reference numerals, the numeral 10 designates generally a template constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The template 10 is of one-piece construction and may be formed of any suitable material, such as sheet metal, wood, plastics, or the like. As is clearly illustrated in the several figures of the drawings, the template 10 is constructed in the general form of a channel having a bottom portion 12 surmounted along one edge by an inner flange 14 and along the other edge by outer flanges 16 and 18.

From Figure 1, it may be seen that the bottom portion 12, while of constant width, it formed to an angle. In the illustrated template 10, the angle thus formed is degrees, which, of course, represents an offset angle of 45 degrees from a continuance of either leg of the angle. It is to be understood, however, that, while the illustrated angle is typical, the present invention is not restricted to employment of any particular angle.

Whereas the inner flange 14 may be continuous along one edge of the bottom porton 12, it will be observed that each of the outer flanges 16 and 18 extends from a respective end of the portion 12 only a distance such that it does not extend beyond the point where it would intersect with a line extended from the inner face of the flange 14. Such lines of extenson are shown in Figure l and designated by the numerals 20 and 22.

In use, the template 10 receives portions of adjacent legs or sections of a folding rule, as illustrated in Figure 6. Thus, in the later figure a folding rule shown generally as 24 has adjacent sections 26 and 28 adjusted to an angle which enables them tobe laid into the template 10. It is obviously desirable that the distance between the fianges of the template 10 be such that the sections of the rule are accommodated snugly. Under certain circumstances, where the template 10 is constructed of resilient material, the upstanding flanges 14, 16 and 18 may be inclined slightly inwardly so as to assist in retain ing the template 10 on the rule 24.

Figure 6 further illustrates the use of an additional template 10 in connection with additional sections of the rule 24 for establishing a suitable shape in a pipe line 30, shown in phantom. It will be understood that the invention contemplates the use of any number of templates 10 along with various configurations of the rule 24.

Clearly, there has been provided a template for use with a folding rule which fulfills the objects and advantages sought therefor.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given only by Way of illustration and example. It is further to be understood that rearrangement or changes in the form of the elements, or the substitution of equivalent elements, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, is contemplated as being within the scope of the inventon, which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable template for use with a folding rule having consecutively joined fiat elongated sections pivoted at points which are removed from the ends of the sections by a distance which exceeds half the width of the sections, said template comprising a flat plate-like bottom portion of substantially constant width formed to an obtuse angle, an integral inside flange upstanding from the inside edge of the angularly formed bottom portion extending from each end of the latter to the vertex of the obtuse angle defined by said inside edge, and integral outside flanges upstanding from the outside edge of the angularly formed bottom portion, one outside flange extending from each end of the bottom portion toward the t r 2,802,278 r vertex of the obtuse angle defined by said outside edge, References Cited in the file of this patent 1 r me p ece e as g tionbof Said inside fiange 1,262,038 Gould P 1 1918 2. The template of claim 1 wherein the flanges up- 5 FOREIGN PATENTS standing from opposite side edges of the bottom porton 536,838 Germany Oct. 27, 1931 are parallel one to another and define a channel having substantially the width of the folding rule to be received therein. 

